Travel: The man and his entourage are without a private jet. He flies commercial.

His pre-match rituals: “He’ll sleep between seven and nine hours, then have a plate of pasta for breakfast. If he’s eating three hours or more before a match, he’ll add some chicken or fish. Just beforehand, he always has a cold shower; then his physio, Rafael Maymo, helps him put on all his tape (at the moment his fingers are taped as well as his knees). After Nadal prepares the handles of his rackets, he listens to music on his iPod—everything from Julio Iglesias to Bon Jovi—and keeps to himself. ”

On Fed’s Aussie Open meltdown: ‘”Well, a bit odd, no? I didn’t really know what to do. I felt sad for him. Those are difficult moments when you’re living through them, but over the years they become moments that both he and I will be able to look back on fondly—they’re emotional moments.”‘

His vulnerabilities: ‘”Being home alone at night makes me a bit nervous. If I’m at home alone I have to sleep on the sofa—I can’t face going to bed. I’m there with the TV on and all the lights on. I’m not very brave about anything in life… In tennis, yes. In everything else, not very.”‘

More pics: View a short slideshow here. The full interview is available in the June issue of Vogue (with covergirl Cameron Diaz). It’s currently in newsstands.